Quality and Safety Audits in Civil Engineering: Review Guide

Purpose of Task

The purpose of this task is to:

  • Enable learners to critically examine a quality or safety audit report from a civil engineering project.
  • Identify non-conformances, gaps, or areas of improvement in QA/QC processes.
  • Understand how UK legislation and standards influence auditing, reporting, and corrective action.
  • Develop skills in assessing compliance, documentation quality, and effectiveness of quality management systems.
  • Support continuous improvement in project QA/QC practices.

Scenario / Context

You are a QA/QC Officer on a commercial building project in Manchester, UK. During a recent internal QA/Safety audit, the following sample audit report has been provided for review. The report highlights the following observations:

Sample Audit Report (Summary):

  • Observation 1: Several inspection checklists were incomplete; some mandatory fields (e.g., inspector signature, date, reference to standards) were missing.
  • Observation 2: Non-conformance reports (NCRs) were not consistently tracked, and some were closed without verification.
  • Observation 3: Certain materials delivered onsite (steel reinforcement) did not have proper certification per BS EN 10080.
  • Observation 4: Safety documentation for scaffolding and lifting equipment was outdated, risking non-compliance with HSWA 1974 and CDM 2015.
  • Observation 5: Quality plans were generic and did not reference project-specific risks or design requirements.

Your task is to review this audit report, identify gaps, and recommend actions to improve compliance and documentation quality.

Relevant UK Legislation and Standards:

  • BS EN ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management system requirements
  • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) – safe work systems
  • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) – design and construction safety
  • BS EN 10080 – Steel reinforcement standards
  • Building Regulations 2010 – construction quality and safety compliance

Task Instructions – Learner Response

Learners are required to:

  • Review the sample audit report provided above.
  • Identify areas of non-compliance, gaps, or weaknesses in quality and safety documentation. For example:
    • Incomplete inspection checklists
    • Improper tracking or closure of NCRs
    • Lack of material certification
    • Outdated safety documentation
    • Generic or incomplete quality plans
  • For each identified issue, provide recommended corrective actions:
    • Specify who should take action (e.g., QA Officer, Project Manager,Contractor)
    • Define procedures to resolve the issue (e.g., re-inspection, updatedocumentation, implement new tracking system)
    • Reference relevant UK legislation or standard supporting the corrective action
  • Prepare a 2–3 page report summarizing your findings, including:
    • Identified non-conformances
    • Recommended corrective and preventive actions
    • References to UK legislation, standards, or codes of practice
    • Impact on project quality, safety, and compliance
  • Optionally, update a sample flow-chart or checklist to show how the proposed improvements would be implemented in practice.

Example Guidance for Learner Response

Observation 1 – Incomplete Inspection Checklists:

  • Issue: Missing inspector signatures and dates; no references to standards
  • Recommended Action:
    • Reinstruct staff to complete all mandatory fields
    • Implement checklist validation step before submission
  • Legislation/Standards Reference: ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7.5 – documented information

Observation 2 – NCRs Not Tracked Properly:

  • Issue: Non-conformances closed without verification
  • Recommended Action:
    • Establish a digital NCR tracking system
    • Ensure QA Officer verifies corrective action before closure
  • Legislation/Standards Reference: ISO 9001:2015 Clause 10 – nonconformity and corrective action

Observation 3 – Material Certification Missing:

  • Issue: Steel reinforcement lacked BS EN 10080 certification
  • Recommended Action:
    • Request supplier certification and verify compliance before use
    • Reject non-compliant materials and update procurement records
  • Legislation/Standards Reference: Building Regulations 2010, BS EN 10080

Observation 4 – Outdated Safety Documentation:

  • Issue: Scaffolding and lifting equipment documents not current
  • Recommended Action:
    • Audit and update all safety documentation
    • Ensure equipment is certified and safe per HSWA 1974 and CDM 2015
  • Legislation/Standards Reference: HSWA 1974 Section 2, CDM Regulations 2015

Observation 5 – Generic Quality Plans:

  • Issue: Quality plans did not reference project-specific risks
  • Recommended Action:
    • Revise quality plans to reflect site-specific risks, design, and contractual requirements
    • Conduct risk assessment for each phase of the project
  • Legislation/Standards Reference: ISO 9001:2015 Clause 6 – planning and risk-based thinking

Learner Task

Learners are required to:

  • Review the sample audit/inspection report provided.
  • Identify all areas of non-compliance or gaps in QA/QC and safety documentation.
  • Provide detailed corrective actions referencing UK legislation and standards.
  • Prepare a 2–3 page report summarizing your findings, recommended improvements, and expected impact on project quality and compliance.
  • Optionally, revise a flow-diagram or checklist to illustrate how the recommended improvements would be implemented

Expected Learner Outcomes

Upon completing this task, learners will be able to:

  1. Critically analyze a QA/QC or safety audit report.
  2. Identify gaps in quality documentation, inspection procedures, and safety compliance.
  3. Recommend corrective and preventive actions supported by UK legislation and standards.
  4. Enhance understanding of quality planning, documentation, and risk mitigation.
  5. Demonstrate ability to implement improvements to support project quality, safety, and regulatory compliance